1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to handheld emergency tools, and in particular to small emergency tools to enable a person to escape from a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, when the motor vehicle is in an emergency situation, and a visor clip therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many incidences where persons in a motor vehicle, such as an automobile, require assistance to escape from the motor vehicle quickly and safely. This could occur in the event the motor vehicle was involved in a collision with another motor vehicle or with some other object, became immersed in water, caught on fire and the like. In most motor vehicles, there are two obstacles for preventing easy escape from the vehicle; these are the windows of the vehicle and the seat belt which is used to hold an occupant in place. Furthermore, a person in distress from such a motor vehicle incident requires assistance in both finding a path to escape the vehicle and to emit a signal to possible rescuers. If an occupant is unable to open a window in the vehicle as a path of escape, it would be necessary to break the window in as short a period of time as possible while requiring limited strength and range of motion, particularly if the occupant is injured, fragile, weak, and in some instances having a little time or room to break the window. Also, there may be instances where an occupant is unable to open a locked seat belt apparatus, such as in the event the operating mechanism is inoperative possibly because of an accident, because the occupant is unable to reach the release mechanism for the seat belt, because obstacles impeding access to release the operating mechanism, because the operating mechanism is malfunctioning or for some other reason cannot release the seat belt.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,557,720, entitled “Personal Emergency Device,” is directed to a personal emergency device which can be kept on a keyring and is useful in various emergency functions, such as those directed to emergency situations involving automobiles. This device has been found very useful because it is small and provides a device for cutting an automobile vehicle's seat belt webbing in the event the driver or passengers are unable to unfasten their seat belts, it includes a device for breaking tempered, unlaminated automobile side window glass by means of a spring-actuated pin having a sharp point that is driven into the glass to break it and which automatically resets for further use. The foregoing device also includes electronically operated items including a high beam and low beam LED flashlight, an emergency red LED light flasher, a thermometer, a digital tire gauge and an audible alarm. While the latter device, which is currently on the market and sold as a Swiss+Tech BodyGard® 7-in-1 Automobile Emergency Tool, its illumination could be brighter considering the emergency situation in which it could be involved, such as a warning signal and/or to illuminate a path of escape, and its battery life could advantageously be extended. Additionally, its ergonomics could be improved.
Another automobile emergency tool was marketed by the applicant under the name Swiss+Tech BodyGard® ESC 5-in-1 Automobile Emergency Tool. This was an ergonomic device which was small enough to be held on a keychain, and had a glass breaker, a seat belt cutter, a sonic alarm, an LED flashlight and an emergency red LED light flasher. Subsequently introduced to the market was a device entitled Swiss+Tech BodyGard® PTX Auto Emergency Tool. The latter tool is the subject of International Publication No. WO 2013/122604 A1. The latter device is an ergonomic auto emergency tool having a glass breaker, a seat belt cutter and an LED flashlight. The latter device is relatively small compared to the two auto emergency tools discussed above. Each of the foregoing products marketed by the applicant have a razor-sharp safety blade for cutting a seatbelt, and a blade cover slides in and out over the blade to protect the blade and to avoid unintentional cutting when the blade is not in use for cutting a seat belt. The foregoing BodyGard® 7-in-one Auto Emergency Tool has a sonic alarm, which is turned on and off by the pressing of a button. It can be deactivated by simply removing the user's hand from the button but keeps generating a warning signal for a period of time.
There are other similar devices which have serious setbacks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,543, entitled “Emergency Tool,” is directed to a device which is large and bulky, and is for use by emergency personnel having a spring-loaded, trigger operated impact member for breaking glass in a vehicle. The device has an emergency glass-breaking tool, a pivotal knife blade, but no warning or alarm member. The device is fairly large, and would fill up a user's hand. Another known device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,916, entitled “Hammer Equipped Emergency Signal Device,” having an LED for emitting a warning light, an alarm buzzer and a pair of percussion imparting members which must be swung as a hammer to break the glass. This device is large, requires space to operate and expensive for one to buy. Another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,628, which is allegedly small enough to be carried on a keychain, in a pocket or a purse and includes a spring-loaded glass breaker. It also includes a V-shaped razor blade for cutting a seat belt. This device does not have a light of any sort.
There are other devices known which are of general interest. Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,870, there is disclosed a handheld cleaning device having a cleaning section and an illuminating system for acting alternatively as a flashlight or as a beacon. An aiming post light is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,095. This light is used for artillery and mortar operations at night, and can be used to provide either steady light or a blinking light, and the blinking light could be red or green, which could be used to assist colorblind operators to distinguish between the two colors. An emergency flashlight is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,033,042. This apparatus has a flashlight body with a battery storage unit and incorporates a hook member for supporting the flashlight on various objects, such as a belt or a handle ring of handbag. It also has a glass-cutting edge with a hammer piece which can be used to cut, strike and break glass and other debris during an emergency situation. None of the latter three devices are small enough to be easily held in a pocket, handbag or on a keyring.